Genband CEO invites customers to join in transformation race

ORLANDO, Fla.--Genband CEO David Walsh used his Perspectives 14 conference keynote speech to lend some perspective on what Genband is doing to remain relevant these days--and he vows that the company will help its customers win in the race to the top.

Kicking the session off with big-screen images of sports competitors and sports analogies, Walsh said it's a race to the top, and Genband, a major player in several markets, is well-positioned to guide its customers to the top of their game as well.

Genband, hosting hundreds of customer representatives this week for its customer and partner summit, is financially successful and in a position to support its customers--something not all companies can claim. "We don't have any debt," he said. "We have got lots of cash to invest," not only in R&D but also in buying other companies, as it has demonstrated with recent acquisitions.

Genband, which really started making a name for itself when it acquired assets from Nortel, is further positioning itself to lead the way from old inefficient, power-hungry legacy systems to the more efficient and nimble architectures of the future, according to Walsh.

Toward that end, Genband unveiled a global IP-network-transformation initiative designed to tackle the "unsustainable and soaring" energy costs required to power the PTSN. The company aims to work with a coalition of organizations and regulatory parties on innovative approaches that will enable operators to fund the transformation of their networks on the back of energy savings, successfully making the transition from PSTN to IP.

Genband is going through a transformation itself. Earlier this year the company announced plans to acquire uReach Technologies, whereby it gains a carrier-class portfolio of voice, video and unified messaging solutions and services. Last fall, it acquired Fring's over-the-top (OTT) mobile IP communications service, expanding its cloud portfolio for the consumer market and giving its operator customers a platform for competing with other OTT solution providers.

During his presentation, Walsh displayed two fast-moving numbers on the large auditorium screens: one representing the national debt and the other representing the number of Internet-connected devices. "That's how we're going to pay for the national debt," he said, referring to the growth of all those connected devices.

"We're all in a race to the top, and we've got to get there as soon as possible," he said.

"You guys want to buy what you want when you need it, and pay for it when you use it," he said, noting that it's a completely different business model from previous generations.  

Attendees are expected to hear a lot more this week about "outcome as a service" and Genband's vision for getting there. Among other things, the company is demonstrating its network functions virtualization (NFV)-enabled distributed session border controller (D-SBC) product set. The D-SBC architecture uses Advanced Media Software (AMS) and IP signaling capabilities to offer network operators savings in capital and operational expenses.

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